


All He Can Do

by Latch_is_what_I_want_to_be_called



Series: Thominho Week 2016 [4]
Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Day 4, Gang AU, Happy/Open ending, I might come back to it, M/M, Minho is running away, No abuse actually happens, Rated T because of gang, Sad, The gang part is in the past BTW, They talk about it though, Thomas is anxious, Thomas is running away, Thominho Week 2016, mentions of abuse, they meet on a bus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-17 22:56:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7289392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Latch_is_what_I_want_to_be_called/pseuds/Latch_is_what_I_want_to_be_called
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Happy Thominho Week Day 4!</p><p>Minho is running away.  He meets Thomas, who is also running away, on a bus.  They talk.  Things start looking up for the both of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All He Can Do

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry this is so late! It's like forty minutes to midnight at my time. I've once again been hanging out with my friend all day and then I wasn't feeling well. Yeah, so this is pretty late. But please enjoy! I did my best with this one. I'm not great at gang AUs and stuff like that, but I gave it my all! Enjoy! :D

When Minho boards the bus, he quickly takes note of how crowded it was.  The only seat available is a seat next to a brown-haired boy who’s looking out one of the windows.  He seems nervous -- Minho can see it in his eyes and the way he’s fiddling with his fingers a little too harshly.  At any other time, Minho would have just decided to stand, but he didn’t want to attract any unnecessary attention, and no one else is standing, so he would most likely stand out.  So he decided to make the safe choice and walk over to the free seat.

“Hey,” he says.  The brown-haired boy looks up at him with fear in his eyes, startled.  Minho tries not to think anything of it.  “Is it okay if I sit here?”

The boy takes a few seconds to respond, and when he does, it’s just a couple nods of the head.  He scoots a little closer to the window as Minho plops down on the seat next to him.  Minho places his bag in front of him between his legs, then sits back with a sigh.  The bus soon starts moving again.  

Minho looks over at the boy next to him.  The boy’s just leaning against the window, watching as New York City passes by.

Minho, getting bored, decides to try and spark a conversation.  “So, where are you headed?”

The boy looks over at him.  “What?”

“Where are you headed?” Minho repeats.

The boy looks down.  “At this point, I really don’t know.  Anywhere but here is good enough for me.”

Minho nods.  “I hear you.  My name’s Minho, by the way.”

The boy stares at him for a few seconds, then hesitantly gives his name.  “Mine’s T-Thomas.”  The boy -- now Thomas -- stutters, as if nervous about giving his name.  Minho doesn’t blame him; he is a stranger to him, after all.

Minho nods, though, and they fall into awkward silence.  Minho, for some reason, wants to keep the conversation going, so he asks, “What makes you want to leave this place?”

Thomas looks back at him from where he was once again looking out the window.  He hesitates, looking around the bus.  Minho realizes he’s making sure no one else is listening.  Thomas looks back at him and says in a harsh whisper, “You have to swear not to tell anybody.  Please.”

Thomas’s eyes are begging him to swear, so even though he wants to say no, he says, “I promise I won’t say a word.”

Thomas hesitates, but finally relents.  “I guess you could call it running away.  I mean, it’s not every day you see a twenty-year-old man run away, but here I am” He cracks the smallest smile Minho has ever seen.  “I can’t stay here anymore.  I’m sick of the life I have.  I don’t know why I’m telling you this -- maybe I just need to tell  _ someone _ .”  He takes a deep breath.  “My boyfriend -- or ex-boyfriend, now -- is a gang leader.”

Minho freezes.  Thomas’s ex-boyfriend is a gang leader? Minho would have no problem with that, if it weren’t for Minho being an ex-gang leader himself, trying to run away from a life he realized he doesn’t want.

Thomas, unaware of Minho’s little inner freak out, continues.  “When I got together with him, I didn’t know he was part of a gang.  He didn’t tell me until three months into our relationship.  During that time, he wasn’t a leader, but it was still just as scary.  But I couldn’t leave -- I had nowhere to go.  I-I’m an orphan, so I don’t really have a lot of options when it comes to family.  I was stuck.”  Thomas sounds more choked up, like he’s holding back tears.  He takes a deep, shuddering breath.  “I was with him for about a year.  It was the most terrifying year of my  _ life _ , and for an orphan who lives in New York to say that, you know it has to be extremely terrifying.  Anyway, about a year after getting together with him, a fight broke out with another gang.  I stayed hidden -- I wanted no part of that violence.  But once the fight was over and I came out of hiding, I saw there were a few members from both sides dead, including my ex’s gang leader.”  Thomas swallows hard before continuing.  “My ex-boyfriend was appointed leader a little while after that.  That . . . that was when it really started getting bad.  He started getting more violent towards everyone, including me.  The power was getting to his head.  He started hitting me.  He always talked down to me.  He insulted me and treated me like I was nothing.  That went on for two months.  That’s when I decided to run away.  I saved up, made up a plan, and here I am, terrified and hoping to God that he doesn’t find me and that you’re not going to run off and tell someone about this.”

Minho looks right into Thomas’s eyes, and sees how desperate Thomas is, how hopeful he is that Minho won’t run off and tell someone of authority.  But Minho won’t do that.  Being an ex-gang leader himself, he knows how terrifying it can get, and how power can really get to some people.  So he says, “I won’t tell anyone about this.  And since you told me something about your past, I’m going to tell you something about mine.” Minho pauses, then realizes what he just said.  He has a small bit of hope that he really didn’t say that, but based on how Thomas’s eyes are wide, that small bit of hope shatters.  He decides to just get it over with.  “I didn’t have a good family life.  My parents were abusive, and I ended up running away at the age of sixteen.  I got in with the wrong crowd.  I’ll spare you the details -- no one needs to hear about it.  I became a gang leader at the age of nineteen.”  He feels Thomas tense up beside him, but ignores it and continues.  “I was a leader for two years -- I’m twenty-one now.  I’ll tell you right now, I didn’t like being a gang leader at all.  I just kept the job because I knew if I stepped down, someone who loves to abuse power will step up and make everyone’s life hell.  So I stayed in power.  But recently there have been too many fights between other gangs.  I knew if I stepped down at this point, I’d most likely be killed.  So, like you, I saved up.  I made a plan, and here I am.”

He looks over at Thomas, who stares back at him with wide eyes that hold some nervousness in them.  They’re both silent, just looking at each other for a few minutes, until Thomas speaks, “So I guess we’re both a little messed up, huh?” His voice is a little higher, but Minho’s not surprised.

Instead, he gives a little chuckle, nods, then says, “Yeah, I guess so.”

Thomas nods, then looks at the ground.  “So, do you know where you’re going?”

Minho nods again.  “Yeah, I have a friend down in California.  He used to be part of a gang, too, but then something happened and he gave it up.  I’m going to buy a one-way, non-stop airplane ticket and stay with him for a little while.  What about you?”

Minho watches as Thomas’s face falls, and for some reason, his heart fills with dread.  Thomas explains, “Um, I haven’t actually gotten that far.  I just saved up for . . . something.  I don’t . . . I don’t know.  I don’t really have anywhere to go.  I just . . . I don’t know.”  Thomas’s breathing starts to pick up.  Minho can see that he’s on the verge of a panic attack -- he should know, he’s seen plenty of people have them and he himself has had a few.   

“Hey, hey.”  Minho places a hand on Thomas’s shoulder and squeezes.  “Breathe, Thomas.  Take deep breaths.  All right? Calm down.  You’re okay, you’re with me.  Just breathe.  Relax.”

Thomas leans into Minho’s touch, and Minho decides to just wrap his whole arm around Thomas’s shoulders.  Thomas leans into Minho’s side, more relaxed than Minho’s ever seen him.  In this moment, right now, he knows what he has to do.  He pulls out the disposable phone he bought before boarding the bus and texts his friend, Newt.

‘Hey, is it okay if I bring a friend? He’s in the same boat as us.  Trust me, he really needs a place to stay.  He needs me.’  He presses send and waits for a reply.  He gets one a minute later.

Newt sent, ‘Are you absolutely sure it’s safe?’

Minho looks down at Thomas, still leaning against his side, but now his eyes are closed.  Minho smiles.  He is absolutely sure.  He sends this to Newt.

Newt replies, ‘Okay, I trust your judgement.’

Minho smiles, most appreciative of Newt right now than he’s ever been in his life.  He looks down at Thomas, who’s almost asleep.  He feels bad, but he needs to tell Thomas the news.  He nudges him.  “Hey, Thomas, I need to tell you something.”

Thomas sits up, eyes tired but alert and looking right into Minho’s.  “What?”

“I just texted my friend.  His name is Newt, and he says that it’s okay if you come with me to stay with him in California.”

Thomas’s eyes widen.  “W-what? Really? Are you sure? You barely even know me.”

Minho nods.  “Yes, I’m sure.  And I know I don’t know you, but I feel that I can trust you.  And I never doubt myself.”

Minho watches as Thomas swallows and thinks.  Thomas’s eyes become watery as he looks right at Minho.  “Thank you,” he says, voice breaking with emotion.  

Minho smiles gently.  “You’re welcome.”  He hears the announcement of the upcoming airport.  “This is our stop.”

He and Thomas gather their bags and wait for the bus to reach the stop.  When it does, they get off the bus and make their way inside the airport.  When buying their tickets, they find out Thomas is a little short on money, but Minho has extra, so he just pays the rest of the money for Thomas’s ticket, once again surprising Thomas.

When going through all the security and airport stuff, they’re tensed and on alert the whole time.  It’s only when they’re on the plane do they relax -- Thomas once again taking the window seat.  They’re just getting settled when Minho notices Thomas’s eyes drooping.  Minho made sure to get a ton of sleep the previous night so he would be ready for today.  He doesn’t know about Thomas, though.

When he asks, Thomas replies with, “I haven’t gotten any sleep the past three days.”

Minho’s eyes widen.  “Three days! Thomas, that’s not good.”

Thomas smiles tiredly.  “It’s okay, I’m used to it.”

But Minho shakes his head.  “No, Thomas, it’s not okay.  You need sleep.  Here.”  He pats his shoulder.  “Rest your head on my shoulder and go to sleep.”

“Minho, I swear I’m fine --”

“Thomas, just get your head on my shoulder and your ass to sleep.”

Thomas finally relents, to Minho’s relief.  Thomas settles his head on Minho’s shoulder, gets comfortable, and is asleep in less than five minutes.  Minho relaxes back in his seat and tunes out all the usual announcements about safety this and that.  He thinks about what’ll happen once they get to California -- what will they do? How will they live? The only thing they know is hell, how are they going live in a real society? 

Minho shakes his head when he hears the plane officially start, soon starting to take off, clearing his head as well as he decides to stop thinking for a while and just relax while he can.  He looks out the window.  While he does have a few doubts about what he and Thomas are doing, he also has hope.  And he holds onto that hope, because, at the moment, it’s all he can do.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please tell me how you think I did in the comments! I'm very curious about how I did with this one. it's my first gang AU EVER! So I'm not the best at them. If you see any mistakes, please point them out. Tomorrow, I might be late again because I am once again hanging out with my friend and I don't know how long we'll be. So, yeah. Thanks for reading, though, and I'll see you for Day 5!


End file.
